25 years ago today, we (well the people who were alive at the time) witnessed one of the most monumental plays in one of the most thrilling games in the history of sports. The only words necessary are...."and it gets by Buckner!" Game 6 of the 1986 World Series was one that no baseball fan will ever forget.
The Mets were down 3 games to 2 to the Red Sox. They were down 2 runs in the bottom of the 10th inning. They were 1 out away from being the team that would help break the "Curse of the Bambino." The unthinkable would then occur. The Mets would string a couple of base hits together to make it a one run game. Then Mike Stanley would make a pitch to Mets outfielder Mookie Wilson that he wish he could get back. The pitch would go wild and go to the backstop tying the game. The Mets, who just minutes earlier seemed to be demoralized and getting ready to head home, were alive again and were a hit away from sending the series to a game 7 at Shea Stadium.
Just two pitches later, one of the most memorable moments in the history of sports would have the city that never sleeps staying wide and awake.
Mookie Wilson hit a ground ball to all star first baseman Bill Buckner. It looked to be the simplest of ground balls. The ball would trickle down the line and go right under the glove of Buckner. The ball would roll onto the outfield grass and change the history of baseball and the life of Buckner forever. World Series MVP Ray Knight would score the game winning run sending the series to a game 7. A series that seemed to be over was now tied. Buckner's impressive career would now be known for just one play. A guy who would finish his career with 2,715 career hits and a batting crown in 1980 was known by many baseball fans as the guy who lost the 1986 World Series. The people of Boston who have been waiting since 1918 to win a World Series were stunned in disbelief and "the curse" would live on.
The Mets would go on to win game 7 in comeback fashion after trailing the series 3 games to 2. One play changed the face of a franchise, the face of a player, and the face of baseball history. The Red Sox would go 18 more years without winning a World Series. Finally, after 86 years of waiting they would break "the curse" in 2004.
The series of events that went down in this game were moments that we will never see again. It was an ending that no person could ever script. It was an evening at Shea Stadium unlike any other. It was a night that every one of the 55,078 in attendance will relive for the rest of their lives. October 25, 1986 would go down as one of the most memorable of all time.
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